The Lion

When Daniel learned that the decree had been signed and posted,

he continued to pray just as he had always done.

His house had windows opened toward Jerusalem.

Three times a day he knelt there in prayer, thanking and praising God.

Daniel 6 (The Message)

I love cats of every size and stripe.  I think tigers are my favorite, but lions come a close second.  Tigers are not mentioned in the Bible, but lions are referred to over 140 times.  The lion was the symbol of the tribe of Judah, and Jesus, whose lineage traces straight back through that tribe, is named The Lion of Judah.  My favorite lion story?  Daniel in the lion’s den.

We all know the narrative:  King Darius is tricked into passing a decree that would land Daniel in the lion’s  den - cooked up by Daniel's fellow government officials.  The king tried to undo his hasty decree, but the law is the law.  The king went with Daniel to the mouth of the lion’s den, then sealed the exit with his ring after Daniel was put inside.  The king returned too the palace and spent the night fasting.  At dawn, he went back to the den and called out: Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve so loyally, saved you from the lions?  And Daniel cried out:

O king live forever!  My God sent His angel

who closed the mouths of the lions

so that they would not hurt me.

 

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future

To a KNOWN God.

-Corrie ten Boom